Statisticians are constantly trying to understand the UK, evaluating people's incomes, health, ages, wealth and nationality. But they also ask about something much less tangible - our happiness.
The Office for National Statistics has created these maps showing where in Wales, and the rest of the UK, people say they are most satisfied with life, where they are least anxious, where they feel worthwhile and where they feel most happy.
Mostly, we are fairly content with our lives with remarkable consistency across Wales and the rest of the UK. Around three quarters of people say they are satisfied with life, that the things they do in life are worthwhile and that they are happy. Only just over 30% describe being anxious.
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Yet the maps do also show up variations across Wales in how people feel. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Denbighshire is overall the happiest county in Wales. The north Wales local authority topped the life satisfaction category and was one of the highest scoring counties in the worthwhile and happiness categories in the survey.
The areas with the most anxiety (dark blue)
Meanwhile in the anxiety category, Ceredigion scored the highest with 3.6 - a drastic jump from its 2.8 in 2012. Rhondda Cynon Taf, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen scored 3.5 respectively, while both Cardiff and Wrexham scored 3.4. Between 2020-21, Wales had the highest average anxiety rating in the UK with 3.41, with Scotland and England ranked with 3.31.
In 2021-22 however, Wales' average anxiety ranking had decreased to 3.17 but still remained the highest ranking in the UK, while Northern Ireland had the lowest with 2.84. England was ranked with 3.13 and Scotland was ranked with 3.09.
The areas that are happiest (light blue)
Denbighshire came out on top with 7.7 out of 10 in the happiness category, alongside Powys, Caerphilly and Vale of Glamorgan. Rhondda Cynon Taf scored the lowest with 7.1, then Cardiff and Newport with 7.2 respectively and Torfaen and Flintshire with 7.3 each. Through out Wales, on average happiness had increased from 7.31 in 2020-21 to 7.43 in 2021-22.
The areas where the most people say their lives are worthwhile (darker shades)
In the worthwhile category, Denbighshire and Powys scored the highest with eight out of 10 respectively. In 2012, both counties scored with 7.8, while Anglesey was scored on top with eight. In 2022, the island was now at 7.8. The Vale of Glamorgan was a close second with 7.9, with the majority of the counties scoring between 7.7 and 7.8 such as Gwynedd (7.8), Wrexham (7.8), Caerphilly (7.7) and Torfaen (7.7).
In the same category, Cardiff scored the lowest with 7.5, while scoring 7.8 in 2012. Newport remained the same with 7.6 out of 10. The average in Wales was 7.7.
Life satisfaction (highest in darker shaded areas)
According to the data, Denbighshire scored the highest in the life satisfaction category with 7.7 out of 10 in 2022. In 2012, Anglesey scored the highest in Wales with 7.8 out of 10 in the category but has now decreased to 7.6 in the last decade.
Most counties scored around 7.6 such as Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Neath Port Talbot, as well as 7.5 such as Conwy, Flintshire and Ceredigion. But Welsh counties such as Bridgend (7.3), Rhondda Cynon Taf (7.4), Caerphilly (7.4), Torfaen (7.4) and Newport (7.3) scored below Wales' average of 7.5. Cardiff scored the lowest with 7.2 - a fall from its score of 7.5 back in 2012.
Here is the interactive map
Personal wellbeing (PWB) is part of the wider Measuring National Wellbeing (MNW) programme introduced by the ONS. It aims to provide an accepted and trusted measure on the UK's wellbeing.
The programme, both in the UK and on an international scale, aims to look beyond economical growth figures to establish progress on how we are doing as individuals, communities or as a nation. The measures include both standard objective measures, such as income and health and people's own views about their lives.
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